Friday, May 04, 2007

Parents to blame for girls getting involved with driversIn households where menfolk are often too busy to drive the women of the house around, having drivers is a necessity and also a luxury. However, many women, including young girls, are increasingly becoming sexually involved with their drivers.

Some people blame women for the problem, others blame drivers who are usually low-paid workers living single in the Kingdom for long periods at a time. However, the fault really lies with husbands and parents who put their wives and daughters in situations that are sure to lead to illicit sexual relationship.

According to social scientist Nura Abdullah Al-Hawshan, there is an increasing number of such women who are living in care centers. “There are many such women. I feel sorry for them and we try providing them with support in whichever way we can. Al-Hawshan believes that the majority of girls who fall into such relationships are naive and very young. “They are not properly supervised by their parents. The parents trust them too much and this is what leads to these problems,” she said.

“It is time to reconsider whether it would be a good idea to allow women to drive in the Kingdom and stop the need for drivers. People are looking at this issue from a narrow perspective,” said Al-Hawshan, adding that women can drive with their veils as is the case with many Muslim women in the West.